Bar Jules

Valeriusplein's all-day living room: Spanish sharing plates, terrazzo bar, walk-ins meant literally.

Valeriusplein is the kind of leafy Oud-Zuid square where nothing ever happens, which is exactly why Bar Jules works. Behind the glass facade: a terrazzo bar with glasses hanging overhead, red velvet seats, and a room that runs from flat-white mums at 9am to negroni neighbours at midnight. The kitchen went properly Spanish with its 2026 refresh, croquetas de jamón that shatter the way they should, pulpo a la brasa on pil-pil potatoes, a one-bite gilda for €4.50, and a brisket suadero tostada that photographs better than your dog. Daytime brings huevos rancheros and a crispy Lebanese-spiced beef pita; evenings are sharing plates and a wine list the staff actually knows. Google's 4.3 says neighbourhood favourite, not citywide pilgrimage, and that's the charm, the 'reserve or just walk in' line on the site is policy, not marketing. Sunday closes at six.

Start with the gilda and the croquetas de jamón ibérico, then let the pulpo a la brasa do the heavy lifting.

Photo: Bar Jules

Photo: Bar Jules